The next day, after a hearty breakfast, everyone headed to the World Martial Arts Tournament venue.
Although the quarter-finals had not yet started, the arena was already packed with spectators, creating a lively atmosphere.
John and his friends parted ways with Bulma and her group at the entrance to the tournament venue. Bulma and her friends would be watching the matches from the sidelines.
As fate would have it, John and his group ran into the Crane School's Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu right at the entrance to the tournament venue.
Especially since the first quarter-final match was about to take place, a spark of electricity flashed between John and Tien Shinhan's eyes.
At this moment, Master Crane, who was standing next to Tien Shinhan, let out an unpleasant laugh and said, "A few little turtles, where's your master? How come I don't see that old turtle?"
"Could it be that he couldn't bear to watch his disciples lose, so he ran away?"
Master Crane's words shifted John's gaze from Tien Shinhan to him.
John said, "Your laugh sounds like a duck's quack, it's so annoying. If you want to find my master, go to the spectator area, he's waiting for you there."
After saying this, John didn't wait for Master Crane's response and headed towards the tournament arena.
Goku, Krilin, and Yamcha didn't continue their banter with Tien Shinhan either. Instead, they followed John into the arena.
Master Crane was furious at John for mocking his laugh, and he was determined to teach John a lesson himself.
However, for a better effect, Master Crane suppressed his anger and said to Tien Shinhan, "This arrogant little brat is yours to deal with. You must beat him so badly that he won't be able to take care of himself."
"Don't worry, Master," Tien Shinhan said, his eyes flashing as he looked at John's back. He vowed to teach John a lesson on the arena.
Soon, the first quarter-final match was about to begin. The host stood on the arena and shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, the highly anticipated quarter-finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament are about to begin!"
"Enough talk, let's welcome our first contestants, John and Tien Shinhan!"
Hearing the host's voice, John walked towards the arena with Goku, Krilin, and Yamcha cheering him on.
John and Tien Shinhan met at the entrance to the arena, their eyes locked in a stare, both sensing the fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
The host continued, "Ladies and gentlemen, you're in for a treat today. John is from the Turtle School and was the runner-up in the previous tournament."
"And Tien Shinhan is from the Crane School, which is equally famous as the Turtle School."
"This will be a clash of fire and water, a battle of the stars and the moon. Who will emerge victorious?"
"I declare the start of the first quarter-final match! Begin!" The host waved his hand vigorously.
With a loud gong, John and Tien Shinhan immediately assumed their fighting stances.
John took the initiative and attacked Tien Shinhan, both of them throwing punches and giving way to each other.
The exciting fight captivated the spectators, who cheered and shouted in support.
"Bang!" The two exchanged punches, each hitting the other's face, and then they separated, regaining their stances.
Tien Shinhan said, "Is that all you've got? If so, why don't you just admit defeat now?"
John smiled slightly and said, "I'm just warming up. I ate a bit too much this morning, and this is how I am. I always feel the need to fill my stomach before a fight."
"Hmph, you think you can shake my confidence with that? I was just warming up too," Tien Shinhan said, but his words belied his true thoughts.
From their initial exchange, it seemed like they were evenly matched, but Tien Shinhan had a nagging feeling that John's strength was not limited to what he had just shown.
He couldn't pinpoint John's true strength, but he didn't believe for a second that John was only warming up. He refused to accept that he was that much weaker than John.
Of course, John didn't say anything. He had indeed been warming up.
Now, John was ready to unleash his full power, and a massive aura began to rise from his body.
Those who didn't understand martial arts might not have noticed anything, but those who practiced martial arts and could sense ki were shocked. They saw John as a colossal beast crouching on the arena.
Especially in Tien Shinhan's eyes, as he faced John directly, he felt John's figure become incredibly massive, while he himself felt insignificant.
"It's just an illusion, I can definitely beat him," Tien Shinhan said to himself, trying to boost his confidence.
Then, Tien Shinhan spread his hands slightly and placed them beside his eyes, shouting, "Solar Flare!"
Instantly, the arena was bathed in a blinding light, like the rising sun, and those without any protection felt their eyes burning. They had no choice but to close their eyes.
When Tien Shinhan assumed this pose, John immediately knew what he was up to and closed his eyes, relying solely on his ki to sense Tien Shinhan's position.
As Tien Shinhan took the opportunity to attack, John dodged his strike with a quick crouch, then punched Tien Shinhan in the stomach. Tien Shinhan cried out in pain and looked at John in shock, exclaiming, "How is this possible? Why aren't you affected by the Solar Flare?"
After saying this, Tien Shinhan tightly hugged his stomach and bent over.
John replied, "Although I can't see with my eyes, I can clearly sense your ki. As long as I catch the fluctuations of your ki, I can counter your attacks."
After saying this, John turned to the host and said, "Hey, are you still counting? He's in no condition to fight back right now."
"Oh, okay," the host said, and immediately ran to Tien Shinhan's side. He began the countdown, "One, two, three... seven, eight!"
As the host counted down, Master Crane frantically shouted from the sidelines, "Tien Shinhan, how can you lose to a member of the Turtle School? Get up, Tien Shinhan, did you hear me?"
With everyone's attention focused on the match, when the host counted down to eight, Tien Shinhan moved. He slowly got up from the ground and said, "Wait, I just took a break because I didn't sleep well last night."
"Now I'm rested, and the real fight can begin."
After saying this, Tien Shinhan slowly stood up.
Seeing Tien Shinhan stand up again, the host shouted, "Did you see that, ladies and gentlemen? What an exciting match we just witnessed!"
"But based on the conversation between the two contestants, we now know that the previous fight was just a warm-up. The real fight is about to begin, so let's look forward to it!"
The host's words elicited loud cheers from the audience.